Moses Itauma injured, heavyweight fight with Jermaine Franklin rescheduled for March
Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin has been postponed. (Richard Pelham via Getty Images)Darshan DesaiUncrownedTue, January 13, 2026 at 7:15 PM UTC·1 min read
Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin will have to wait a little longer for their heavyweight collision.
The heavyweight phenom sustained an injury, ruling him out of the pair's Jan. 24 clash at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, Queensberry Promotions announced Tuesday.
As a result, Itauma vs. Franklin — and the whole supporting undercard — has been rescheduled for March 28 at the Co-op Live.
The undercard includes a light heavyweight contest between Willy Hutchinson and Ezra Taylor, fast-rising middleweight contender Shakiel Thompson stepping up against Brad Pauls, former IBO super bantamweight titelist Liam Davies vs. Zak Miller, and the popular Nathan Heaney facing Gerome Warburton.
Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs), who previously extended Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte the 12-round distance, was viewed as a step-up fight for Itauma and was expected to take the rising star past Round 2 for the first time in Itauma's past nine fights.
Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) knocked out Dillian Whyte in Round 1 this past August in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prior to that, he took out Mike Balogun in the opening frame. The 21-year-old only fought twice in 2025, with his handlers hoping 2026 would be a more active year, although that plan has already taken a hit just 13 days into the new year.
Franklin will enter the bout on a three-fight win streak, which includes a controversial decision victory over Ivan Dychko on the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford undercard.
